“Hands Kneading  the Future” Project Concludes with a Closing Event

The “Hands Kneading the Future” project, coordinated by the Anadolu Education and Culture Foundation (AKEV) in collaboration with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services and the Culinary Arts Program of Istanbul Aydın University, was successfully completed with the “Cooking Together Competition” held as the project’s closing event.

Throughout the project, culinary workshops were organized for children aged 7–12 who are under protection and care in institutions affiliated with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services. The workshops aimed to enhance the children’s culinary skills while encouraging creativity, sharing, collaboration, and teamwork.

At the closing event, the children had the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills they had gained throughout the project. By preparing their dishes as teams, they experienced the value of cooperation and enjoyed the satisfaction of creating and achieving together.

The event was attended by Elif Aydın, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of AKEV; Prof. Dr. Füsun Terzioğlu, Vice Rector of Istanbul Aydın University; Ömer Turan, Director of the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services; Deputy Directors Ayten Yılmaz and Yusuf Kiser; Dr. Fatih Cebeci, Head of the Child Services Department; Ulaş Pehlivan, Director of the Sheikh Zayed Children’s Homes Complex; and Fatma Göksu, Child Development Specialist from the Preventive and Protective Services Unit.

During the event, appreciation was extended to the academics, volunteers, and partner institutions who contributed to the implementation of the project. The importance of continuing social responsibility initiatives that support children’s development was also emphasized.